A “sick” man allegedly saved 4 folks captive within the basement of his South Carolina residence, abused them and stole their cash — solely getting came upon when considered one of them died from the abuse, based on police.
Donnie Ray Birchfield Jr., 35, is accused of maintaining the foursome — a susceptible married couple and two ladies he was in a relationship with — in his residence in Lancaster, based on a warrant obtained by the Courier Publish.
There, he allegedly beat them whereas chopping them off from the surface world, even controlling once they ate and used the lavatory, the warrant stated.
Cops first investigated after one of many captives — the married lady — died on July 25.
Investigators stated the girl had been useless for a day — and had been bodily abused and denied sustenance and medical remedy, the report stated.
They then discovered the useless lady’s husband in addition to the 2 different ladies being held, the report stated, with out figuring out the 4 folks held.
Birchfield was arrested Aug. 1 and charged with abuse of a susceptible grownup, 4 counts of false imprisonment and home violence. He was later hit with fraud and exploitation prices for allegedly utilizing his prisoners’ cash.
Authorities are awaiting a pathologist’s report earlier than pursuing extra prices, WSOC-TV reported.
“That’s a sick particular person proper there,” neighbor Darryl Evans informed the outlet. “He’s a sick individual to do one thing like that.”
The useless lady and her husband have been susceptible adults and Birchfield was their caregiver, though it’s not clear how he knew them. The opposite two ladies have been allegedly in romantic relationships with Birchfield, based on court docket paperwork.
One lady had lived with him since September 2024, whereas the opposite had been within the residence since 2015. It’s not clear how lengthy the susceptible couple had been residing there.
The victims, none of whom have been recognized by police, solely left the basement when Birchfield allowed, based on arrest warrants.
Together with bodily abuse, Birchfield is accused of stealing 1000’s of {dollars} from them, spending at the least $2,000 at Walmart with the couple’s bank card since 2021.
In simply the previous eight months, he additionally spent practically $12,000 from the couple’s checking account to repay his bank cards.
Certainly one of Birchfield’s girlfriends claimed that he had threatened to kill her and damage her household, based on charging paperwork. He additionally chillingly informed her he knew the way to get rid of a physique from previous experiences.
Birchfield is locked up on the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Workplace below a $150,000 bond.
